Wire spring structure



Oct. 14, 1958 w. H. NEELY 2,855,985

WIRE SPRING STRUCTURE Filed Feb. 25, 1957 INVENTOR. WILLIHM H- NEELYUnited States Patent 9 WIRE sro STRUCTURE Application February 25, 1957,Serial No. 642,009 4 Claims. (Cl. 155-179) This invention relates toimprovements in upholstered seat and back spring constructions assembledfrom sinuous or zigzag-shaped wire springs which are individuallyreenforced by auxiliary wire spring members to contourshape the wiresprings, increase their yielding resistance and provide improved supportfor and conformation to the human body.

Spring constructions of the type indicated generally embody reenforcedsinuous wire springs having elongated Webs and supporting arms extendedfrom opposite ends of the webs, and these wire springs are reenforced byauxiliary sinuous wire spring sections or substantially straight bracingrods pivoted to intermediate areas of the webs and the supporting arms.However, reenforced wire springs of these spring constructions havesubstantial height and therefore can hardly be used for seat and backspring constructions in present day height-reduced automobiles in whichspace available for seat and back structures is limited.

The primary object of the present invention is the provision of animproved seat and back spring construction assembled from reenforcedzigzag-shaped wire spring structures with wire springs each of whichincludes an elongated wire with a web reenforced by an auxiliary wiremember having its ends in cantilever-like fashion attached to spacedareas of the web and its middle portion spaced from the web to decreasethe height of the Wire spring structure while retaining its contour andyielding resistance, thus permitting use of the wire spring constructionin present day height-reduced automobiles.

In these wire spring structures, the ends of the webreenforcingauxiliary wire members are coupled in cantilever-like fashion with thewire spring webs by interlacing these ends with at least two adjoiningcross wire members of the webs and the middle portions of the auxiliarywire members are spaced from these webs preferably by bending thesemiddle portions in a direction away from the webs.

Another object of the invention therefore is the provision of animproved wire spring structure of the type above referred to in whichthe auxiliary wire member has its ends interlaced with at least twoadjoining cross wire members of the web of the wire spring and in whichthe middle portion of the auxiliary wire member is bent in a directionaway from the web of the Wire spring.

Further objects of the invention lie in shape and form of the auxiliarywire member constructed to include a somewhat V-shaped middle portionand axially offset end portions facilitating their interlacing withcross members of the web of zigzag-shaped wire springs.

Still other objects of the invention lie in the specific construction ofreenforced wire spring structures of the type referred to and theirremovable mounting on wire frame structures permitting full compressionof loaded reenforced Wire spring structures without danger of noisy wireentanglement and impediment of the proper action of the reenforced wirespring structures.

in addition to the above described objects, the invention has othermarked improvements and superiorities which radically distinguish itfrom presently known structures. These improvements or superiorcharacteristics embodying certain novel features of construction areclearly set forth in the appended claims, and a preferred embodiment ofthe invention is hereinafter described with reference to theaccompanying drawing forming part of the specification.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a spring construction assembled ofWire spring structures embodying zigzag-shaped wire springs reenforcedby auxiliary Wire members constructed in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of one of the auxiliary wire members shown in Fig.1.

Fig. 4 is a side view of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary plan View of a wire spring showing theinterlacing seating and holding connection of the wire spring with thewire frame.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view-taken on line 66 of Fig. 5; and

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken on line 7-7 of Fig. 5.

Referring now more particularly to the exemplified form of theinvention, the seat back spring structure shown for illustration, whichis especially adapted for automobile seat back constructions, embodies aframe structure 2 formed by wire stringers 3 and pairs of parallellyarranged cross wire members 4 arranged in spaced areas of framestructure 2. Cross Wire members 4 are extended crosswise of wirestringers 3 and welded thereto at contact points therewith. Framestructure 2 removably supports on its cross wire members 4 a pluralityof wire spring structures 5, each of which includes a sinuouslycorrugated wire spring 6 and a reenforcing auxiliary wire member 7. Eachwire spring 6 embodies oppositely extended loops 8 which are connectedby substantially parallel cross members 9 and sinuously corrugated Wiresupporting arms 10 and 11 adapted to removably attach the wire spring tospaced pairs of cross Wire members 4 of frame structure 2. To this end,the pairs of cross wire members 4 each include one cross Wire member 12with a plurality of laterally spaced, sharply bent open loops 14 andanother cross Wire member 15 with a plurality of seating and holdingsections 16 which are formed by flattening the cross wire member inopposite directions and provide axially offset, oppositely arrangedseating and holding portions 17 and 18. Loops 14 in cross wire member 12are aligned with seating and holding portions 17 and 18 in cross Wiremember 15 for cooperation therewith in seating and holding thesupporting arms 10 and 11 which are attached to pairs of cross wiremembers 4 by threading S-shaped end cross member 19 of the supportingarms through sharply bent open loops 14 and springing end cross members20, which adjoin end cross members 19, to positions adjacent andparallel to cross wire members 15. This assembly effects seating ofcross members 20 on seating portions 17 and holding of cross members 20by holding portions 18 (see Figs. 6 and 7). Supporting arms 10 and 11are yieldingly held in attached position by yielding end loops 21 whichare slightly compressed when the supporting arms are mounted in themanner described.

The sinuously corrugated reenforced wire spring structure 5, whichpermits reduction in height Without loss in control of contour-shape andload resistance, have the wire springs 6 reenforced by elongatedauxiliary wire members 7, each of which includes an elongated bodyportion 22 and axially offset end portions 23. Body portion 22 iscentrally bent at 24 to prevent its contact with the elongated web 25 ofwire springs 6. The end portions 23 of auxiliary wire member 7 areoffset to facilitate their interlacing with adjoining parallel crossmembers 9 of wire spring 6 for cantilever-like coupling of these endportions with spaced areas of web 25 of wire spring 6. End ;prtions. 23are preferably U-shaped as' at fi26 iand havecth'e web portions27tofi'their-U s curved to stiffen same and etfectcooperation of'arms28, 29 of-the iUs in the engagement of-lsucharms -with crossmembers 9 of'webw 25.

-When loaded, -seat and back 'ispring. constructions of thisfltyperesist-with: increasing stiffness'to the load, as the beam strength ofwebs 25 of the wire spring structures 5 by cantilever-like engagement ofwebs 1:25 with end portionsw23 of auxiliary wire members 7:iSi-iHCI'Cfi'Sfid. Suchincreasedstifiness of the wehspermitstheirshaping toithet human. body without formation of-soft spots andbulges=asthe load-is transferred through auxiliary wire members 7 -to'the coupling areas'of auxiliary wire members 7-:and webs 25 to crosswire membersi30 at the ends of the webs and resisted 'by*torsionaltwisting of cross wire members 30.

'-Wire'.-spring structures of thetype'described, which may be adapted toany and all desired load contours by change of the location ofthe'coupling areas between webs 25 and auxiliaryspring-members 7 and bylength and cross sections of such auxiliary spring members, canreadily'be fully compressed without danger of interlockingithecrossmembers 20 of their supporting arms 10 and 11 with cross Wire members 4of frame structure 2, as the seating and holding sections 16 of crosswire members locate cross'members 20 in the plane. of frame structure 2and substantially parallel to cross wire members 15.

2 Having-thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a seat assembly, a spring seat construction embodying a frame anda plurality of wire spring seat 'structures:mounted on said frame, saidwire springseat structures each including an elongated, sinuouslycorrugated resting portion formed by left and right-handed loopssuccessively connected by straight wire cross'portions-and an elongatedauxiliary wire memberwith a middleportion positioned below the restingportion in axially spaced relation and end portions extended through theresting portion between adjacent wire cross portions thereof andinterlaced therewith to effect cantilever-like couplings of the endportions of the auxiliary wire members with the sinuously corrugatedresting portions of the wire spring seat structures when the restingportions are loaded.

2. A seat assembly: as described in-claim 1, wherein the end portions ofthe elongated auxiliary wire member are U-shaped and axially'o'fisetwith respect to the middle portion 'therecf 'tocontact the endsof-the middleportion with the top face of the resting portion andtheU-shapedends of the auxiliarymemberwith the bottom face of the restingportion.

3. A seat assembly" as described 'incl'aim 1, wherein said elongatedauxiliary wire member is shaped from straight wire and has a middleportion bent in a direction away-from the bottomface. of the sinuouslycorrugated restingportion ofwthe wire spring seat structure.

4. :Inza reenforced springustructure a wire spring of sinuous wirehavingopposite arranged loops connected by short. straight cross wire.portions, said Wire spring including an. elongated. resting portion andsupporting arms extended from opposite ends thereof, and .an elongatedauxiliary. wire member bent from straight wire including anelongated-body and .axially offset end portions, said auxiliary -wi1'emember having its body arranged. below said resting portion in spacedrelation with respect thereto and its axially offset endrportionsthreaded through said resting portion between two crosswireportionsandinterlaced therewith to effect cantileverlike coupling of.the auxiliary wire member with the resting portion of the-wire spring.

.1 References .Cited in the file' of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSKendall Mar; 19, 1957

